In December 2012, Beck released his latest album, Song Reader, at 20 songs it’s a long player. The unique thing with this release is that in order to hear the songs you must play them yourself, not just on a CD or mp3 player but real instruments. Song Reader is in sheet music form only. All twenty songs are boxed and catalogued in the ‘album’ for you to read and play yourself or listen to someone else play.
That is just what will happen January 17th at the Rio Theatre. Vancouver’s The Broken Mirrors will play the album in its entirety before a live audience. To help the night along, the band will be joined by some of their friends, local musicians and bands for this one-night-only event.
I asked The Broken Mirror’s Noah Walker what drew him to plan this performance, he said “That was an easy decision, it’s intriguing, an entire Beck album unrecorded. What does it sound like? There’s only one way to find out, play it”. He adds “Beck is a unifying figure in music, he is a shining example that you don’t have to get stuck in any one genre and that it is quite alright to to mix it up and play blues, punk rock, hip hop, folk and even country!”
The night promises to be full of genre busting sounds, judging by the line up of other musicians including Headwater, Buckman Coe, Leah Abramson, and Van Driver.
Walker says of the night’s line up, “All of them can come together under one roof and make music together. These are a collection of songs where there is no definitive version. By not recording them Beck has put such a high value on the live performance of these songs.”
This is a great night for everyone, Beck fans get to hear his latest work plus live music fans can show their support of their fave local bands and a great local venue.
Beckstravaganza takes place Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 8:00pm
at The RIO Theatre, 1660 E Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Tickets are $15 advance at The RIO Theatre box office, Red Cat, Highlife and Zulu Records, or online at www.riotheatretickets.ca